Loving Jesus Style

  Matthew 6:24 (NIV) 24  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Devotion: One of the most challenging decisions we face as followers of Christ is how to handle our money and possessions. The world tells us that money is the key to happiness, security, and success. It urges us to pursue wealth, accumulate more, and enjoy the pleasures it can buy. But Jesus warns us that money can also be a dangerous trap, a false god that competes for our loyalty and devotion. Jesus does not say that money is evil or that having wealth is wrong. He acknowledges that money is a necessary and helpful resource in this life. He benefited from some wealthy supporters' generosity (Luke 8:1-3). He also praised those who used their money wisely and faithfully, such as the poor widow who gave all she had (Mark 12:41-44), or the shrewd manager who made friends w...

Scripture: Romans 11:28-32 (NLT) 28  Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29  For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30  Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31  Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. 32  For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. Devotion: In this passage, Paul reveals a profound truth about God's plan for Israel and the Gentiles. It's not just a historical account, but a living reality that directly impacts our lives today. He shows us how God's use of their disobedience and His mercy are not a distant concept, but a present-day truth we can experience. He reassures us that...

  Scripture: Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV) 3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Devotion:                 These verses, like a soothing ointment, heal the weariness of our spirits and illuminate the path of hope for our grieving hearts. They speak directly to our present, a time when the fractures of our fallen world are yet to be healed, when the distance that sin has placed between our Creator and us is still a chasm. Envision, with eager anticipation, a world unmarred by sorrow, untouched by loss. Picture a reality where the sting of death is but a dis...

  Scripture: Micah 6:8 (ESV) 8  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you        but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Devotion:             In this short but powerful verse, God himself speaks these words through the mouthpiece of His prophet, Micah. God has just finished telling the people that He does not need their animal and oil sacrifices, no matter how vast the quantity. The people he addressed had mistaken ideas of what God required from them in their worship. God had told and shown them all through their history of walking with Him that He cared more for the state of their souls than all the sacrifices they could offer Him.                   Don’t we make the same mistake today? It seems the church always stresses the form and c...

  Scripture: John 13:34-35 (ESV) 34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Devotion:             The words of this scripture passage flow from the apostle John as quickly and frequently as any other word he ever wrote. Love is one of the overarching themes in John’s writings. From his gospel to his letters, John consistently writes of the necessity for Christians' lives to be marked by love for one another. The words John writes here are a quote from the lips of Jesus. Jesus knows the law of the Torah and is undoubtedly aware that in Leviticus 19: 18, we are commanded to love one another. So, in what sense is this a new command?             The Leviticus command is that we love on...

Scripture: Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) 17  A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Devotion             This profound proverb holds a universal truth that resonates with all of us. It encapsulates the essence of true love and loyalty, which are not just desirable but essential for our survival and growth as human beings. As social creatures, we thrive in loving, trusting relationships. When we are deprived of these connections, whether by choice or circumstance, we often find ourselves making unwise decisions. In times of adversity, it is this love and support that can provide us with the reassurance and comfort we need.             An essential but unstated truth of this proverb is that just as we need to be loved even in personal crises and adversity, we must be available to love and accompany others in their distress. This require...

Scripture: 1 John 4:18 (ESV) 18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Devotion:             This scripture proclaims a truth that is not just relevant, but crucial in today’s culture. If there is one quality that is desperately needed in America today, it is true biblical love. We seem to have forgotten how to love and trust one another. Such love and trust are not just the glue that holds society together, but the very foundation on which it stands. This decay of love for one another has occurred gradually over many years. The Covid pandemic really accelerated this loss by instilling fear and caution in our interactions, telling us that every person we met was a potential carrier of the disease and should be avoided.             Fear drove us to extraordina...

  Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) 28  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Devotion:             Today, we delve into a passage that may resonate with many of us. It's a conversation with Jesus, where He shares His wisdom about the rewards of following His path. We all carry our own unique burdens and worries each day. But Jesus, in His infinite compassion, assures us that by embracing Him, we can find rest from these heavy loads.             This burden-sharing Jesus speaks of in this passage was a revolutionary teaching for the Jewish people of His time. They were used to the scribes and other religious leaders adding spiritual tasks and burd...

  Scripture: Luke 23:44-46 (ESV) 44  It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45  while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46  Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.             Today, let us meditate and pray over the things that happened to Jesus on that Friday so long ago. Let us try to imagine the great sorrow those first disciples must have felt watching their teacher die upon that cross. Prayer:             Heavenly Father, today we try to enter into your great sorrow as you watched with the waiting world for your Son to die on the cross. We read about the great sorrow of Jesus’ first followers, and we ask you if there was not some other way Jesus could h...

Scripture: John 15:12-17 (ESV) 12  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14  You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17  These things I command you so that you will love one another. Devotion:             Jesus's words in today’s text encourage believers throughout the ages to believe that we are not merely servants but friends of Jesus. Jesus explains His commandments to His follow...

Scripture: John 15:9-11 (ESV) 9  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Devotion:             In these verses, Jesus is giving the disciples an intimate portrait of the love that exists between the Father and the Son and the Son and the disciples. These words were not recorded for the twelve apostles only. They apply to us as well. We know that the Father loved the Son with an extraordinary love. Without a strong bond of love, the power of God manifested in Jesus could not exist. What is the reason for this strong Father, Son love we see here? The keeping of commandments. It sounds strange to our 21st-century ears, but the love between the Father and Son is base...

Scripture: Acts 17:19-21 (ESV) 19  And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20  For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21  Now, all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. Devotion:             On day two of our visit with Paul in Athens, we find him being led to the Areopagus (Mars Hill). Mars Hill served as an open-air forum. It could be used for legal proceedings, but that was not its only function. Since we find no judicial language in the text, we assume that the Athenians brought Paul there to hear what this new teaching was. For Paul, this presented a golden opportunity to share the gospel with some of the thought leaders of Athens.        ...

Scripture: John 15:18-20 (ESV) 18  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. Devotion:             This scripture is compelling. It explains what happened to Jesus and His disciples some 2,000 years ago. The message of God is rarely welcome news for the world. It calls out many of the culture's favorite practices for what they are: sin. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, humankind has been adamant about trying to hide or excuse their sin. Sin causes a barrier between humans and God that humanity cannot overcom...

Scripture: Galatians 2:19-21 (ESV) 19  For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. 20  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Devotion:             The Old Testament law caused the death of all who tried valiantly to obey it. With its rules and lists, following the law in every detail was a full-time job. In these verses, Paul makes it plain that there is a new way to be right with God that does not depend on obedience to the law of Moses to perfection. A new day of righteousness has dawned for those willing to accept that God had come to live, die, and be resurrected for our salvation.     ...

  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) 19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20  for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body. Devotion:             In these two short verses, Paul tries to bring the Corinthians to some awareness of the state of their souls in Jesus Christ. If we have truly given our lives to the Lordship of Jesus, things will have to be different. Our 21st-century culture, even, or perhaps especially, our Christian subculture, misses the mark badly in this regard.             The chant “My body, my choice” rings loudly in the streets. Our culture has lost its way, and the church has done little, if anything, to correct its delusion. The church in many congregations congratulates herself on how much like the culture she has become...

  Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-7 (ESV) 4  I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4  There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7  But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Devotion:             This scripture is one of the most ambitious calls for unity in the writings of Paul. Apparently, the Ephesian church was under threat of division and schism. Paul loved the church dearly and was determined not to let such division occur under his watchful care. Whil...

  Scripture: Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV) 44  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Devotion:             The double commands found in verse 44 above are the most difficult commands to obey in the Bible. They are counter-intuitive. The last thing any human wants to do to someone who hates us (with or without cause) is to show them Christlike love in return. Praying for the well-being of such a one is not a natural act. It is clear, however, from the Greek text that loving and praying for those we do not like is an imperative, a command, not a suggestion.             Since it is a command, we must find a way to accomplish it. The Lord’s commands are notoriously difficult f...

  Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV) 15  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Devotion:             The Apostle John gives us some basic instructions about our relationship with the things of the world. A note of caution is in order here. John did not say hate the people of the world. John has already written in his gospel that “God so loved the world,” God loves those whom He has created to be His image bearers, and nothing can revoke that love. Satan and his angels currently administer this world system of governments and authorities. Therefore, that system is not to be loved. ...

Scripture: Genesis 3:19 (ESV) 19           By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,                         till you return to the ground, for out of it, you were taken;                         for you are dust, and to dust, you shall return.   Devotion:             Today, we celebrate (if that’s the right word) two special days on our calendar. The Christian calendar marks Ash Wednesday; the secular calendar marks Valentine's Day. Ash Wednesday marks a day of great solemnity in which we mark our mortality on this earth. Believers go forward to receive ashes on their foreheads to mark the eventual end of their lives in these mortal ...

Scripture: Matthew 5: 43-45 (NIV) 43  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Devotion:             Today’s scripture may be one of the most radical sayings of Jesus. Our polarized society is steeped in culture wars, which denigrate those who believe differently than ourselves. These words of Jesus appear hopelessly irrelevant. Everyone seems perfectly content to look down on and disparage those who disagree with them. This command of Jesus is rarely lived out. Furthermore, it is denigrated and made fun of when it is lived out. In light of all this negativity, what do we gain by loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us? ...